Udupi: Post-roadcrash Tragedy, Gloom Encircles Mogaveera Community

UPDATE: Tuesday, 7-30 am

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (MB) from Hejamady - pics RK Durga Digitals

Udupi, Apr 24: The Kanchan family from Hejamady Kodi and their relatives along the belt belonging to the Mogaveera community are all in a state of daze.

Besides the gravity of the collision of vehicles, what makes the sad story more poignant is that belongd to the two families and relative's family.

The deceased have been identified as:

Bhaskar Rama Kanchan (55)
His wife Chandravati Bhaskar Kanchan

Yashoda Karkera (60)
Her grandchildren (daughter Rekha's children) Nikhil (6) and Nisha (7) Bangera

and close relatives Sumati Putran (40) and Rajeevi Madhava Salian (50)

They were travelling in the rickshaw owned by Bhaskar Salian from Hejamady Kodi to attend a 'Seemanta' (function connected with a woman expecting childbirth) ceremony at Sasihitlu near Haleangady. It had been planned ahead that on the way they would pick up another female relative, Sumati Putran. When, for this purpose, the rickshaw was halted suddenly, the tanker is said to have rammed into it.

In fact, the function was taking place at Yashoda's relative's house. She had not only engaged Bhaskar's rickshaw for the trip, but also got Bhaskar's wife to accompany her. Fate also took toll of Bhaskar and his wife, besides Yashoda's two grandchildren.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the badly smashed and mutilated bodies of the victims were strewn all over the road, creating a gory scene. 

The tanker has been seized by the Padubidri police and the driver, fearing public outrage and backlash, is said to have fled the place at once.

While most of the people gathered put the blame on the driver of the tanker, there were a few who pointed out the general tendency of smaller vehicles to suddenly stop or slow down in the middle of the highway without pulling off to the side. This would make it difficult for the vehicles behind to apply brakes suddenly, especially for heavy vehicles because of the weight and momentum, said a regular driver on the Mangalore-Udupi highway.

Udupi: Ghastly Accident Claims Seven Lives at Hejmadi - Pics

Monday, April 23, 2007

Pics and  spot inputs from RK Durga Digitals
For Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi/Hejmadi (MM/GA)

Udupi, Apr 23:  Monday April 23 would perhaps go in the annals of the district as one of the ‘darkest days’ ever.  For long there have been complaints from various quarters about the marauding tankers, express buses which ply like agents of death on National Highway 17.  Several ghastly accidents have claimed innumerable lives over the years. Yet no one has come with a concrete solution to this menace of tankers, buses etc.  This is the sole reason why very often one or the other biker, pedestrian or passenger is knocked to death.

But never before in recent past that such a ghastly accident has taken place in the district.  Monday April 23 afternoon proved fatal for 7 persons of a family who were on their way to attend a function. 

A recklessly driven tanker rammed into a rickshaw from behind at Hejmadi near Padubidri here knocking seven persons including 4 women and 2 children.

The deceased have been identified as Bhaskar Rama Kanchan (55), Chandravati Bhaskar Kanchan (45), Yashodha Karkera (60), Rajivi Madhava Salian (50), Sumati Putran (40), Nitin R Bangera (8) and Nisha R Bangera (6).

When the rickshaw reached near a dhabha (an eatery) at Hejmadi, one more woman who was supposed to attend the same function stopped the rickshaw.  But before she could get in, a tanker coming from behind hit the rickshaw.

The impact of the accident was such that all those who were in the rickshaw died on the spot.  Their bodies were thrown on their highway making it a horrible scene to passers-by.

The news soon spread and people rushed to the spot in big number making difficult for the police to control.  Though traffic was blocked for sometime, the Padubidri police along with locals managed to clear the road.

District in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya, MP Manorama Madhwaraj, former MP Vinaykumar Sorake, Kaup MLA Lalaji R Mendon, SP Dr Subrahmaneshwar Rao, ZP member Shashikant Hejamadi, Hejamadi GP president Sudhakar Karkera, and Padubidri SI Navinchandra Jogi visited the spot.

Padubidri police have registered the case in this regard.